The 2023 Bowman Draft Baseball collection is an absolute must-have for fans of MLB draft picks and rising stars. This year’s release brings an exciting addition to the mix: Tom Brady, the legendary figure of the NFL, is featured as an insert and autograph card. Brady, who was once drafted by the Montreal Expos in 1995, is celebrated in the collection as a “Dream Draft Pick,” although preview images are not yet available.
Scheduled to be released in mid-December, the 2023 Bowman Draft Baseball collection follows the success of 2023 Bowman Baseball and Bowman Chrome. It includes highly notable prospects such as Wyatt Langford, Paul Skenes, and Ethan Salas. The collection offers both Hobby Jumbo and Super Jumbo boxes, each containing a variety of cards, autographs, and parallels to satisfy collectors.
The base set consists of 200 cards, highlighting the top draft picks and promising MLB prospects. The set also includes special “1st Bowman” notations and image variations for 10 players. Additionally, the base set features two Hall of Famers, Josh Gibson and Carl Yastrzemski, as short-printed RetroFractor cards. Yastrzemski’s card also has an autographed version available.
The collection boasts an exciting array of parallels in both paper and chrome formats, including the new Aqua/Pink and Red/Green Gradient Borders. Hobby box exclusive Orange Borders are also showcased within the collection. Chrome cards introduce several new refractors such as Lunar Glow and Fuchsia Lunar, adding an extra layer of appeal to collectors.
This year’s inserts pay homage to the 1954 Bowman baseball design with the Bowman 1954 Flag Variation. These inserts showcase young players in action, each representing their home country’s flag. The collection also features the Bowman Draft Glass and Chrome Prospector’s Special Die-Cut inserts, which are accompanied by the debut of the Transformative Talents and Draft Picks & Prospects inserts.
Tom Brady’s Dream Draft Picks card raises an intriguing “What if?” question, presenting collectors with various limited Refractor parallels. Furthermore, the collection includes a diverse range of autographs, such as Chrome Prospect Autographs, Mood Ring Red Autographs, and Bowman ’54 Flag Variation Red Refractor autographs.
Dual signatures are showcased in Franchise Futures Dual Autographs, and the Class of 2023 Autographs spotlight this year’s most notable MLB draft choices. The set also offers special autographed booklets and Under Armour Game Autographed cards, making it a comprehensive and exciting collection for baseball card enthusiasts.
In addition to the previously mentioned features, the 2023 Bowman Draft Baseball set provides collectors with the opportunity to find unique and rare autographs. The Class of 2023 Autographs section highlights the most prominent MLB draft picks of the year, featuring new Green Refractor parallels. Additionally, the collection offers Gold, Red, and SuperFractor parallels, giving collectors a variety of options to choose from.
The inclusion of Tom Brady as a “Dream Draft Pick” in the set is particularly notable. Gold Refractor parallels for Brady’s card are limited to just 50 copies. Other Refractor parallels for Brady’s card include Orange, Red, and the extremely rare SuperFractor, each offering a unique collectible for fans of both football and baseball.
The set also features Base Set Gold Retrofractor Autographs, which are limited to 50 cards and follow the same parallel configuration as the Brady autographs. These autographs provide an additional layer of rarity and value to the collection.
Furthermore, the set includes Draft Glass Autographs, numbered to 99, which present another exclusive aspect to the collection. These autographs come with Lava, Gold Mini-Diamond, hobby-exclusive Orange, Red, and SuperFractor parallels.
For collectors seeking even more unique items, the set includes Image Variation Autograph parallel cards, each numbered to 99. These cards feature different visual takes on some of the players in the set, adding an exciting element of surprise and diversity to the collection.
The autographed booklets in this year’s set are particularly special. The “Positioned for Excellence” booklet, limited to just 10 copies, and the “Picked for Excellence” Autographed booklet, limited to just 5 copies, are exceptionally rare and highly sought-after. Each of these booklets also has a Red Refractor parallel, limited to 5 copies, and a SuperFractor (1/1), making them some of the most coveted items in the entire collection.
Finally, the set includes Under Armour Game Autographed cards, featuring varying serial numbers and a wide range of autographs from some of the most promising young talents in baseball.
In conclusion, the 2023 Bowman Draft Baseball set is a comprehensive and thrilling collection that blends a mix of new prospects, established stars, and the unique inclusion of a legendary football figure. With its variety of cards, parallels, and autographs, this release is highly anticipated among collectors and fans of the sport alike.
